Friday, May 18, 2018

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One person was injured in a plane crash in Clinton County, Missouri.Missouri State Highway Patrol said the plane had a problem during takeoff and crashed shortly after. The plane crashed just to the side of C Highway. Story and video ➤ https://www.kshb.com

CLINTON, MO (KCTV) - A small plane has crashed in southern Clinton County in Missouri.One person has sustained minor injuries.The crash happened in the area of C Highway, one mile north of CC Highway. The area is east of Smithville Lake and is near a small private airport.No other information is available at this time.Original article ➤ http://www.kctv5.com

George Antoniadis’s PlaneSense has access to more than 4,000 US airports.

When it comes to frequent fliers, George Antoniadis may top the list.He has promised his family not to travel across the Atlantic or Pacific for three weeks because lately he’s been absent a lot from home. Antoniadis recently returned from a trip during which he crossed 12 time zones in a week, flying from Boston to Zurich, then to Greece, Italy, China, back to Europe, and — finally — home. It’s all in a day’s work as CEO of a fractional aircraft business, PlaneSense, Inc. The job includes attending a lot of conferences and industry board meetings. PlaneSense doesn’t fly internationally yet, but offers Uber-style on-demand domestic service on elite private jets.Fractional aircraft business is akin to airplane time-sharing or a renting a plane. The cost of a plane is split among several owners who buy shares and avoid the hassles of scheduling, maintenance, and crew. Last year, PlaneSense, based in Portsmouth, N.H., traveled to 920 destinations. With a fleet of Pilatus PC-12s and PC-24s – sleek single-engine turboprops that have been called the Swiss Army knives of the sky — this door-to-door air transportation cuts out commercial airline travel.The Greek-born and Swiss-educated Antoniadis, a Harvard MBA who did a stint as a management consultant, first tested his aviation business acumen at Norwood Airport. “I saw planes sitting idle and unused for weeks at a time on the tarmac. I wondered why air time couldn’t be shared among several parties, driving costs down and improving operations,” said Antoniadis, 57, who is a commercial instrument-rated pilot.He started by managing and renting small trainers, like Cessna 210s and Bonanza a36s, and eventually began acquiring a fleet of jets, flying to Switzerland to speak to manufacturers of high-end turboprops.PlaneSense then moved its headquarters to modern, glass-enclosed offices in Portsmouth, where Antoniadis can view the airfield from his desk. The Globe spoke with him about his nonstop push to make fractional aircraft ownership work.“On occasion, I fly commercially in the US when I think it’s more corporately responsible to do so. I was on a flight out of Orlando when a client walked onto the plane and said, ‘George, what are you doing on the bus?’ We had a conversation about fractional airplane ownership and a lot of people around us were intrigued by the discussion.“Then the captain came on the loudspeaker and said, ‘Ladies and gentleman, there’s a technical issue. We have a one-hour delay.’ So my commercial air travel often ends up being a recalibration and reminder of why I’m in business.“While private aviation is seen as a privilege and a perk, it maximizes time savings for entrepreneurs, vacationers, retirees, families, small-to-midsize companies, and large corporations. They are able to land at smaller airports, closer to their destination, bypassing hubs. PlaneSense is able to access more than 4,000 airports in the US with our PC-12 turboprop, versus 500 for the large airlines.“With fractional aircraft ownership, you buy only as much of an airplane as you need. It’s a very well-oiled system. The average aircraft flies about 300 hours a year — less than an hour a day. But in our case, planes fly multitudes of times, and fleet dynamics drive costs down significantly.“The idea for PlaneSense began over two decades ago, when I was a pilot and saw a need for small aircraft management, helping owners take care of planes and renting them out for others to use. It was my cautious foray into the field of business aviation, and served as a periscope into the industry. I became interested in the emerging field of fractional ownership, and started drawing up the idea for PlaneSense on a whiteboard.“In the world of fractional ownership, jets are the dominant force. I decided to enter the space with a brand new airplane at the time, the Pilatus, a modern-turbo prop. It’s very efficient and can easily go to short runways such as Chatham’s 3,000 foot runway, Fisher Island — a very sought-after golfing location — or high altitude airports in the Rockies. These planes attract attention — if you want to be discreet about your arrival, take a bicycle.“As for me, I continue to be an avid aviator and exercise that privilege often. I’m intrigued by the innovation and elegance of engineering solutions behind every aircraft. I’m also fascinated by the efficiency and effectiveness of air travel in terms of distance, flexibility, and speed. Seeing the earth and weather from an airplane at 40,000 feet inspires awe.“I fly daily, commuting to Portsmouth by air, using either one of our PC-12s or a smaller six-seater Bonanza. There’s no better signal to my troops then arriving and departing in an airplane. Good aviators know that you need to be current and trained, and that means you need to fly a lot.”Original article ➤ https://www.bostonglobe.com

Incoming Rhinelander Oneida County Airport director Matthew Leitner, right, is taking the helm from his mentor, Joe Brauer, who is retiring Friday.

Rhinelander-Oneida County airport director Joe Brauer has offically passed the baton to Rhinelander native Matthew Leitner as Brauer’s aviation career came to a close Friday. After 48 years serving the industry and its fliers, he couldn’t stop smiling as he chatted about his approaching retirement and reflected on his career.Despite a career decorated with accolades and awards, Brauer was quick to attribute his success entirely to the people around him.“At the end of the day, it isn’t because of Joe Brauer; it’s because of the employees,” he said. The colleagues and customers around him are what he’ll miss the most. “Walking through the terminal greeting people – that’s going to be the biggest adjustment.”Brauer’s career started with a postcard. As a boy growing up on a dairy farm in Door County, he said he never planned to spend his life in aviation. That changed when a card arrived in the mail with the words, “Want to see the world?” A week later, he had signed up for the airline school and was headed to Minneapolis by the fall of that same year.“I’ve never looked back,” he said.He joined Air Wisconsin Airlines, a regional airline based at Appleton International Airport, and served as a customer service agent for five years before moving to Midstate Airlines, based at that time in Marshfield. He spent the next 15 years holding various positions in the airline industry until one day Bob Heck approached him, asking him to consider the Rhinelander airport manager position.“It took me all of about 10 seconds to say, ‘Yes, I think I can do this,’” Brauer recalled. That was 28 years ago.Today, Brauer counts several advancements at Rhinelander airport among the highlights of his tenure. Chief among those was an infrared deicer installed in 1998, the brainchild of former airport commission chairman Bob Heck and Brauer, and the first in the world of its kind. The deicer used infrared technology to remove ice and snow from airplanes “for less than a buck a minute,” Brauer explained. It took just six years to form the concept and create the first prototype in Rhinelander – an accomplishment Brauer said the Federal Aviation Association noted would normally take 20 years.Another achievement that brought smiles to the faces of disabled passengers was a non-motorized disabled passenger lift, ending an era where such passengers would have to be carried up steps – at times a frightening and humiliating experience. A frequent flier came to Brauer after using it for the first time, he recalled.“Mr Brauer, I want to thank you,” she said. “I finally got on an airplane with some dignity.”“I’ve had a very, very blessed career,” Brauer finished. “I’ve been very lucky. I’m looking forward to retirement after 48 years of doing this.”Matthew LeitnerPilot, aircraft mechanic, instructor and experienced airport director, Matthew Leitner is stepping in to fill Brauer’s shoes. A Rhinelander native returning home, Leitner found his start in aviation at the very airport he will now manage. His lifelong passion for flying took its first step on his 11th birthday when his mother gifted him with an hour of flight instruction.“As a child, I was smitten with flight,” Leitner recalled. But his passion was roadblocked by what many said was insurmountable: he is blind in his left eye. “I was told ad nauseum, ‘No, you can’t be a pilot,’” Leitner said. But despite that, he spent five years working odd jobs at the airport and scraping together money for flight instruction until he was 16, when he made his first solo flight.“When I soloed, it was rapturous.” He took a flight test with the FAA and obtained a first class medical certificate, a waiver that would allow him to even fly for airlines. “I’ve never met anybody else that has it,” he remarked.After graduating from Rhinelander High School in the late 1990s, he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia where he began amassing the education needed to pursue a career as an airport director. But when he finished graduate school in 2008, during the Great Recession, breaking into the workforce was “extraordinarily difficult.”After failing to procure several openings, he traveled to Jamestown, North Dakota, where he made an “earnest appeal” for the airport there to take a chance on an inexperienced director. He got the job, and despite Delta pulling out of the market just months after starting, he went on to oversee the building of a new terminal, obtain government subsidies to procure jet airline service, and introduce much needed technical upgrades in the form of hangars, runway lighting, electronic gating and a rotating beacon light. Today, he says, the airport – comparable in size to Rhinelander – is breaking monthly boarding records and has become a primary commercial service airport.In 2014, he moved on to Crescent City in northern California, where he says he essentially repeated the same story. Under his supervision, the airport got jet airline service, a new terminal and a higher classification of FAA certification.“It was a real rush,” he remarked.At a city council meeting Monday night, he said he had stayed in touch with Brauer through the years, turning to him for advice during his early days as a director. When he heard last year there was an opening, he jumped at the chance to return to his hometown.“My objective is to enhance our collective quality of life here, as community, county and region,” he said of his goals for Rhinelander airport. Unlike Jamestown and Crescent City when he started, he remarked, the airport here is thriving and he wants to build on the foundation that Heck and Brauer have laid.Reaching out to the young people to give them their start in aviation is a vision both Brauer and Leitner share for the future of aviation. Leitner says he wants to visit local schools and bring students to see the airport and get hands on experience that could potentially inspire them to direct their careers into aviation fields.Though Brauer’s last day was May 18, but he plans to remain a “friend of the airport” and provide assistance to Leitner as needed.Original article ➤ http://www.starjournalnow.com

The Williamsport Municipal Airport Authority opened three bids ranging from $985,322 to $1.08 million for the second phase of its fuel farm relocation project at a special meeting Thursday.The project includes a new fueling system and tank installation, which the authority’s engineers projected at $1,074,250. The project was bid out earlier in the year but did not receive responses at that time.Three companies responded to the latest ad.The companies and their totals were: Beavers Petroleum Equipment and Alternate Fuels, $1,084,951; Petroleum Technical Services LLC, $1,019,947; and the Fourth River Company, $985,322.Vince Decario, of L.R. Kimball, lead engineer, and the state Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Aviation will further review the bids and make a recommendation to be voted on at the authority’s next meeting, June 14, said Christopher Logue, chairman.In other business, the authority voted to go with Baker Tilly Virchow Krause LLP, which provides auditing services for Lycoming County, for its state-mandated audit, pending review of pricing.“Our existing auditor, unfortunately, has run into a bit of a dilemma and is unable to perform our audit this year,” said Thomas Hart, airport executive director. “We have reached out to the county’s auditor to give us pricing.”Original article ➤ http://www.sungazette.com

BELGRADE - Operations are resuming as planned at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport after a fuel truck flipped over on the general aviation ramp Thursday afternoon.A driver walked away with only minor injuries after losing control of the fuel truck when the weight from the fuel shifted while the driver was making a turn.Airport Police and Fire, Central Valley fire department, and Best Rate Towing responded and are helping with cleanup“It’s a process, obviously when you have fuel, it’s very important environmentally to handle that correctly and between us and the Central Valley Fire, and Best rate towing we’ve been making sure is done correctly,” said Brian Sprenger, airport director.Yellowstone Jet Center is continuing to investigate the accident.Story and video ➤ http://www.kbzk.com

VALDOSTA — Hap Ertlschweiger served for the last time Wednesday as a member of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Airport Authority.A former fighter jet and airline pilot, Ertlschweiger has served on the authority for four years. Taking his place will be George Page.Page is the executive director of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority.Ertlschweiger retired five years ago. Leaving the authority will relieve him of another set of responsibilities, he said. With his newfound free time, Ertlschweiger said he plans to spend time with family and soak up some sun on the beach.He said if the authority needs his advice, the authority is more than welcome to call him.Page spoke highly of the airport and referred to it as a “jewel."“We are very blessed to have such a wonderful airport in our community,” he said.Page said he looks forward to contributing his expertise to the authority and help make it an even better asset in the community.Meanwhile, plans to purchase the land contiguous to the airport have hit a small snag.The State Historic Preservation Office has asked the authority to perform an environmental study on the property because of an existing structure that has cabinets considered to be historical, Airport Manager Jim Galloway said.The environmental study pushes the authority’s plans back by about a year; however, Galloway is pursuing alternate options to try and expedite the process, he said.Originally, Galloway told property owners the land transaction may not happen until October, he said. He is still trying to find a way to honor that claim so as to not cause any more burden on the property holder.The airport is trying to purchase the land to remove trees to improve the airport safety rating.Galloway said there is no update on the new air traffic control tower. The authority will know if the project will move forward after May 22.The project is dependent on the passage of the Transportation Local Options Sales Tax that is on the ballot Tuesday.The airport authority meets 8 a.m., the second Wednesday of every month in the airport manager’s office. The meetings are open to the public. Original article ➤ http://www.valdostadailytimes.com

SUPERIOR, Colo. (CBS4) – Emergency crews in Boulder County responded to the Superior area at midday after a small plane made an emergency landing in a field after it lost power.The Boulder County Sheriff’s office said no one was hurt in the incident west of Superior.All three people on board escaped injury when the plane lost power.Copter4 video showed the single engine propeller plane in the middle of a grassy field and police officers interviewing what appeared to be the pilot.The pilot told authorities rather than try to make it to Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, he decided to land in the field. Story and video ➤ http://denver.cbslocal.com

Ada County passed a law that requires all operators of small unmanned aircraft — drones — to register the aircraft and obtain remote pilot certification from the Federal Aviation Administration.The new law does not apply to model aircraft. It's unclear how many people in Ada County own or operate drones.Additionally, the law prohibits drone operators from using their aircraft to harass, startle or annoy people; take people's pictures or record audio of people "in any place where the person would have a reasonable expectation of privacy."The law is already in effect. Violations are an infraction and are punishable by a $100 fine. The Ada County Sheriff's Office will oversee enforcement, county spokeswoman Kate McGwire said.The goal of the drone law is to augment FAA regulations and protect public safety and privacy, McGwire said. County Commissioner Jim Tibbs presented the law in response to several residents' complaints, she said. All three commissioners voted in favor of the law Tuesday.Story and video ➤ http://www.idahostatesman.com

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) - A $30 million dollar renovation project is underway at Spartanburg Memorial Airport. The largest project to date will extend the runway several hundred feet and make the airport FAA compliant. 7News has learned about 90 airplanes fly in and out of Spartanburg Memorial Airport daily. Airport officials hope the runway expansion project will help them attract bigger planes, carrying more people, to Spartanburg. "So the runway, last time it was resurfaced was back in the 80's," said Airport Director Terry Connorton. Financial constraints have limited the airport officials from paying for runway upgrades, that was until the Federal Aviation Administration awarded Spartanburg Memorial Airport a grant to fund renovations. "We're extending the runway to 6,000 feet to allow us to get bigger airplanes in here," Connorton told 7News. "The other thing we are going to be doing is actually improving the navigational lights." On Friday, Connorton showed our crew the site of the future additions. He says the long-overdue expansion project will make the airport compliant with federal safety zone regulations.Connorton says the project also fulfills his vision to make the airport a popular entry point for South Carolina. "I'm trying to get this airport a lot of more involved in tourism," he said. Bigger planes is music to the ears of Airflow Performance President Don Rivera, whose business depends on planes. "Of course, that expands our customer base, which will help our business." Rivera told 7News. The airport is primarily used by private and corporate jets, generating more than $40 million dollars in revenue for Spartanburg, but the upgrades open the door for smaller commercial flights in the future. "I think what will happen is it'll allow more people to visit Spartanburg," Rivera said. The runway will be closed from June 18, 2018 to August 23, 2018. The runway will be temporarily shortened by 1,000 feet during rehab, so only smaller aircrafts will be able to use the runway. During the rehab planes will be rerouted to Greenville-Spartanburg International or Downtown Greenville Airport. The project is set to be complete by December 1, 2018. Spartanburg Memorial Airport was the first commercial airport in the state. A mail plane landed there in 1928. Story and video ➤ http://www.wspa.com

Date:11-AUG-18Time:20:00:00ZRegis#:N527JTAircraft Make:EXPERIMENTALAircraft Model:MUSTANG IIEvent Type:ACCIDENTHighest Injury:NONEAircraft Missing:NoDamage:SUBSTANTIALActivity:PERSONALFlight Phase:TAKEOFF (TOF)Operation:91City:AKRONState:COLORADOMay 17, 2018: Occurrence while tower was closed; aircraft discovered in the runway safety area off the side of the runway.